With three awards already in hand, Cam Newton heads to New York for Heisman ceremonies

Cam Newton's mother beamed as the Auburn quarterback won three of the most prestigious awards in college football Thursday night.

In a season of success and distractions for one of the most productive players in the nation, Jackie Newton said she has told her son to "be strong. Represent. Keep going. Do your thing."

Newton followed her advice with a spectacular season that now includes the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award and the Davey O'Brien Award, which Newton won during an ESPN awards show in Orlando Thursday night.

The next stop on the Cam Newton Awards Tour is New York, where he's the heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy Saturday night. He'll meet the media in New York today.

His mother will be there, too, but his father, Cecil Newton Sr., will not. The person the NCAA says tried to get money for his son to play at Mississippi State issued a statement late Thursday afternoon that said he will not attend the ceremonies because he does not want to be a distraction. The NCAA has told Auburn that Cecil Newton should have only limited access to the school in the wake of its findings.

The NCAA has found no wrongdoing in Auburn's recruitment of Cam Newton, who reiterated in an ESPN interview Thursday that he did nothing wrong during his recruitment by Mississippi State and Auburn.

"I've stood firm and told the truth," Newton said.

Later, he said, "I did it the right way."

Newton said he hasn't asked his father about details of the allegations against him, but "at the end of the day I can look him in the eye and know he has my best interests at heart."

The committees voting on the awards presented Thursday night agreed that Cam Newton has enjoyed on-the-field success. He won the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards, which go to the nation's most outstanding player, and the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation's top quarterback.

Cam Newton: O'Brien and Maxwell Awards in hand (Todd Van Emst photo)

Only two other Auburn players -- quarterback Pat Sullivan and running back Bo Jackson -- had won the Walter Camp Award, and they both won the Heisman, too.

Newton has led Auburn to a 13-0 record and a spot in the BCS national championship game against Oregon on Jan. 10.

Newton has accounted for a nation-best 49 touchdowns, is the first player in SEC history to have at least 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the same season, and is the third player in NCAA history to have at least 20 TD runs and 20 TD passes in the same year.

"No guy would be able to do it without the supporting cast, and I have an unbelievable supporting cast, starting with my offensive linemen," Newton said on the awards show.

Newton wasn't the only Auburn player recognized during the ceremonies. Newton, offensive tackle Lee Ziemba and defensive tackle Nick Fairley of Mobile were named to the Walter Camp All-American first team.

Auburn's Gene Chizik was recognized for winning the Home Depot National Coach of the Year award during the awards show. Chizik won the award Wednesday.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was recognized, again, for winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach. Malzahn won the award Monday in Little Rock.

Fairley was recognized for winning the Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman. He won the award Wednesday night in Houston. Fairley was also a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, an honor that goes to the nation's top defender. LSU defensive back Patrick Peterson won the award during the show.

But it was Newton who dominated the awards show from start to finish, both for his production on the field and the controversy off it.

Newton told ESPN's Chris Fowler that he had done nothing wrong in his recruitment, and that he picked Auburn over Mississippi State because "Auburn possessed what's best for Cam Newton."

"Everything I've done at this university, I did it the right way," he said.

Newton, in an ESPN.com story, was asked if anything could have been misunderstood in his conversations with Mississippi State after he decided to go to Auburn.

"Through my eyes, I feel like nothing was misunderstood ... I'm clear with everything I said during that conversation," he said.

Newton said he wouldn't address an ESPN report from last month that alleged Newton told an MSU recruiter that he picked Auburn because "the money was too much."

Cecil Newton, in a statement released by his attorney, said he will not attend the Heisman ceremonies "so that my son, Cam Newton, can receive all the honors and congratulations that he has worked so hard to accomplish and without distraction."

Cecil Newton also said: "For all of my 50 years of life, coupled with 25 years of marriage, I have made an exhausting attempt to be a good husband, father, and generally a good person of integrity. The past 60 days have caused all that my family worked to accomplish to come into question."